Supergirl: “Ace Reporter”

Kyle’s Thoughts

“Ace Reporter,” as the episode’s name suggests, focused on Kara as a reporter. I haven’t spent much time discussing Kara’s reporter story arc because Supergirl hasn’t put a lot of time into her non-superhero career.

This week’s episode rushed the process of building Kara as an ace reporter. Snapper Carr is too forgiving for a guy who was betrayed one week prior and he’s putting a lot of trust in a fledgling reporter who’s shown on multiple occasions that she doesn’t understand the business. The CW throws in a few buzz words like “alternative facts” and they expect their audience to buy it. They may be right in that assumption.

I may not have liked how Supergirl handled Kara as a mild-mannered reporter but I’m glad the show shifted its focus to Kara’s career. Romance derailed Kara’s life as a reporter.

Speaking of romance, it dominated the other half of “Ace Reporter.” We’re not talking true love. We’re talking the all too common like-like that occurs on CW shows. None of the “romances” this week have lasted longer than a few episodes, one was even introduced this week and dropped. To be fair, iZombie’s Rahul Kohli guest starred as Lena Luthor’s love interest and there was no way he’d continue as a show regular, but I suffer from insta-romance fatigue. Just add water.

The weekly villain also revolved around an insta-romance. Nanorobots attacked National City. This isn’t the first time this villain type has taken on a CW hero: Queen Bee on Arrow. Lena’s tragic romance added a little twist to a familiar storyline, but it was a weekly villain married to a weekly romance. It didn’t add that much.

Dialogue has never been the CW’s strongest asset but the dialogue in “Ace Reporter” was particularly cringe-worthy. A line like “I’m a black belt in karate” can’t be followed by “I’m a Luthor.” They may as well have said, “I can kill you with one thumb.” “I have money.” What’s worse was any scene involving Lyra. She’s supposed to not know how Earthlings speak—her lines and delivery worked—but the human cast around her acted as if they were aliens.

The stinger at “Ace Reporter’s” end could lead to something interesting. I’m not invested in Mon-El’s mom (Teri Hatcher) and her revenge but I care for Mon-El and Kara’s relationship even less. If Supergirl handles the story well, the finale could shake up things. But a line delivered by Mon-El (Chris Wood), “Nothing can stop romance,” leads me to believe Supergirl will continue its Mon-Kara melodrama.